Blackwood Crossing

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 180 reviews
  • story
  • emotional
  • gameplay
Blackwood Crossing Game Cover
Heart wrenchingly beautiful and emotionally exhausting, Blackwood Crossing is a game that will be on your mind for days.
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"Blackwood Crossing" is a first-person adventure game that follows the story of Scarlett and Finn, orphaned siblings who encounter strange and mystical events on a mysterious train ride. As players uncover the memories of the twosome's past, they will navigate through surreal and emotive landscapes, making choices that will determine the fate of their relationship. The game explores themes of love, loss, and growth in a poignant and thought-provoking narrative.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews
story94 positive mentions
gameplay8 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautifully emotional story that resonates deeply with players, exploring themes of loss and familial relationships.
  • The art style and visuals are stunning, creating a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere that enhances the narrative experience.
  • The voice acting is excellent, particularly the performances of the main characters, which add depth to their emotional journey.
  • The gameplay mechanics are clunky, with slow movement speed and frustrating interaction prompts that can detract from immersion.
  • The game is quite short, typically taking only 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
  • Some players may find the puzzles too simplistic or unintuitive, leading to moments of confusion rather than engagement.
  • story227 mentions

    The story of the game is a poignant exploration of sibling relationships, grief, and emotional growth, often delivered through a unique and immersive narrative style. While many players appreciate its emotional depth and beautiful visuals, some criticize its predictability and the lack of character development, which can hinder emotional investment. Overall, the storytelling is seen as the game's main strength, despite some gameplay frustrations and a desire for a longer, more fleshed-out experience.

    • “There's something really unique, mysterious, and intriguing about the story in this game that makes you want to keep going and figure out what is going on.”
    • “The story is beautifully told and allows you to relate completely to each character you meet in the game.”
    • “This game is absolutely beautiful - the artwork, the animation, the storyline... so much depth and such intrigue... you get drawn into it very quickly, and when it ends you just wish there was more.”
    • “The story, sadly, is where the game falls flat—even after three playthroughs I was still a bit unsure as to what exactly the tale was and I would have liked more closure or even more clarity in the overall story.”
    • “Ultimately, the story lacks depth, however, mainly due to its length and inability to connect you with its characters.”
    • “Forcing a player to drudge through a story at a crawling speed feels like a way to milk the already low playtime for this game.”
  • emotional90 mentions

    The game is praised for its deeply emotional narrative and well-developed characters, with many players reporting that it brought them to tears, especially during the impactful ending. However, some reviewers felt that the fragmented storytelling and lack of character development hindered their emotional connection, making it difficult to fully engage with the story. Overall, while the game offers a touching and introspective experience, its emotional resonance varies among players, with some finding it profoundly moving and others feeling it fell short.

    • “Outstanding facial animations and the voice acting makes you feel the emotional bond between the family members.”
    • “The story and the way this game tells it is heart-wrenching yet simple.”
    • “This game hit very hard in the emotional sense, and its delivery was incredibly well done.”
  • gameplay49 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it is clunky and simplistic, often feeling more like an interactive movie than a traditional game. While the visuals and voice acting are praised, the mechanics are criticized for being frustrating and repetitive, leading to a lack of meaningful player engagement. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a weak point, overshadowed by a strong narrative and aesthetic presentation.

    • “I would recommend playing this game for its unique gameplay and challenging puzzles.”
    • “Recommended partly because of the story, but largely due to the actual gameplay which is a walking simulator-esque adventure with a lot of interactivity from the player.”
    • “What is here is well-executed; from the music, to the voice acting, to the story, to the game mechanics involving matching scattered conversation partners or manipulating fire/shadow to unlock new areas are engaging.”
    • “The gameplay is fairly minimal and clunky, and I thought I'd understood the story enough that I was getting a little tired of it.”
    • “Unfortunately, it is hindered by poor gameplay locomotion, mechanics, and repetitive tedious sections that are unrewarding and time-consuming because of core design and the clunky movement of the main character.”
    • “The interaction mechanic is clunky and raises your frustration levels.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and artistic style, which enhances the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful visuals, charming character designs, and expressive animations that create a captivating atmosphere. While some players noted performance issues on lower-end systems, the overall aesthetic and attention to detail in the graphics contribute significantly to the game's emotional impact.

    • “I think its art style adds a nice layer to its storybook premise.”
    • “The graphics are artistic and expressive, and the voice acting is superb, especially Finn.”
    • “What caught my gaze and sparked my interest in the first place when I saw those early screenshots, were the unique art style and the excellent character models, surrounded by a magical and dream-like world.”
    • “My computer isn't exactly a high spec gaming rig, but a GeForce 710 and a 2014 Core i3 couldn't get above around 20fps on the lowest graphics settings.”
    • “There are certainly better narrative games out there with more compelling stories and presentation of those stories; I wouldn't pick this title up unless it was about $5 and I wanted to solely appreciate the art style.”
    • “So I think that for the story Blackwood Crossing wants to tell, and considering how obviously talented the development team is, as far as visuals and art direction is concerned, the video game medium might not be the best one.”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the storytelling and emotional depth. Many reviewers highlight the excellent soundtrack, which includes a memorable main theme and a poignant ending song, while also noting the high-quality voice acting and sound effects. However, some players suggest that the music can occasionally be overshadowed by other audio elements, and a few find it less catchy compared to other games in the genre.

    • “The soundtrack creates a both joyful and melancholic experience.”
    • “Lovely animation, beautiful music and a story that grabs for the heartstrings and doesn't let go.”
    • “The music is also fantastic, used very effectively for scoring scenes and conveying mood changes.”
    • “Then the puzzles are pretty iffy, and the music, barring the ending song, is under par for the genre, but that's minor given the strength of the premise.”
    • “The music, while not catchy, does add a ton to the atmosphere.”
    • “Some might find the music too decent; I find that it fits the bill perfectly, always slightly supporting the overall mood of the situation.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is described as mesmerizing, bizarre, and surreal, creating an emotionally charged experience that resonates with fans of atmospheric and walking simulator genres. Players appreciate the outstanding graphics, unique locations, and effective use of music, which collectively enhance the eerie and immersive environment. While some comparisons to similar titles suggest it may not fully reach the heights of others, the overall atmosphere remains a standout feature, marked by fantastic writing and a sense of intrigue.

    • “Very mesmerizing, bizarre, surreal, and oneiric atmosphere.”
    • “Fantastic writing and atmosphere.”
    • “Incredible strange, creepy atmosphere that makes you wonder what the hell is going on.”
    • “I did enjoy this game, but having not long played 'What Remains of Edith Finch', which shares both theme and atmosphere and arguably does it better, I was slightly underwhelmed.”
    • “The music, while not catchy, does add a ton to the atmosphere.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent and severe frame rate drops, sluggish movement, and poor field of view, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite some positive aspects like storytelling and character performances, many players feel that the game's performance issues overshadow its strengths, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Overall, the optimization is considered subpar, with some even comparing it unfavorably to other poorly optimized titles.

    • “After a certain point the story gets predictable, but performances are stellar - especially Finn's.”
    • “Performance-wise, it would have been nice to experience the game in 60 frames, but to be honest, the game is no worse for being capped at 30.”
    • “Abysmal performance: FPS drops from 144 to 60 all the time for no reason.”
    • “I don't recommend this one for the opposite reasons I don't recommend Tacoma: while this one has good concepts and a good story, for me it falls short almost everywhere else. Even after patches, the game performance isn't good; moving around in the game feels awful: never enough space, yet the movement is so slow.”
    • “The optimization is worse than Ubisoft.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its impressive design and animations, with characters described as lovable and visually appealing, reminiscent of Pixar's style. However, some players feel that the exploration aspect could be more flexible, allowing for personal choice in gameplay. Despite technical issues on the PC port, the overall character design and storytelling are highlighted as standout features, making it worth considering, especially at a discount.

    • “I liked it, and the voice acting and character design were good too.”
    • “Blackwood looks beautiful with its Pixar-esque character designs and the gorgeous environment, which is impressive since it's mostly set on a train.”
    • “Loveable characters; really good character design!”
    • “The character development feels incredibly shallow, leaving players with little to no emotional connection to the characters.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices in character progression; it felt like I was just going through the motions.”
    • “The game offers very limited options for character customization, making it hard to feel invested in my character's journey.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, primarily due to slow movement mechanics and underwhelming puzzles. While the story may justify some of the effort, the overall experience is marred by clunky gameplay and time-consuming tasks that feel unrewarding.

    • “Unfortunately, it is hindered by poor gameplay locomotion, mechanics, and repetitive tedious sections that are unrewarding and time-consuming because of core design and the clunky movement of the main character.”
    • “You do some tedious slow walking back and forth, back and forth over and over.”
    • “Biggest flaw is the slow walking pace, which gets tedious and annoying after a while.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players appreciate the option to replay the game and explore different strategies, though some have only experienced it once, leaving uncertainty about its overall replayability.

    • “The game offers a wealth of choices, making each playthrough feel unique and encouraging multiple runs.”
    • “With different character builds and story paths, the replayability is off the charts!”
    • “I love how every decision impacts the game, making me want to replay it to explore all the possibilities.”
    • “Luckily, you can replay and try new things, although I admit I've only played through once, so I can't speak for its replayability.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Blackwood Crossing

Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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